THE IONIA COUNTY PEACE COMMUNITY/LA COMUNIDAD de PAZ DEL CONDADO de IONIA welcomes volunteers of all ages who are interested in events and activities that promote a Beloved Community (www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy) where we recognize our
...

THE IONIA COUNTY PEACE COMMUNITY/LA COMUNIDAD de PAZ DEL CONDADO de IONIA welcomes volunteers of all ages who are interested in events and activities that promote a Beloved Community (www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy) where we recognize our interdependence and use our diversity and different gifts to enrich the whole.

For more information or to become a member, email ioniacountypeace@gmail.com, call 616-527-7163 or like us on Facebook. Visit our website at ioniacountypeacecommunity.org.

A shirt from the T-Shirt Project, a display of T-shirts depicting themes and facts about sexual assault, on display at the Ionia County Court House.

April 9, 2013
4:15 a.m.

By Daniele Reisbig

Maybe you've heard (or said) something like this before: "Don't go off with strangers," or "Watch your drink at parties." I remember my own parents warning me to choose my wardrobe carefully or I could "attract the wrong attention." Women are taught to believe that sexual assault is something that happens to you when you go to the wrong party, hang out with the wrong crowd, or engage in "risky behaviors." We spend a lot of time (and fund a whole industry) preparing for the stranger in the alley or the anonymous bad guy at the party, but the truth is most victims of sexual assault know their attacker. It may be someone the victim likes and trusts. They may even date their assailant. Overall, about 2/3 of victims know their attacker (RAINN). Rape occurs far more often in living rooms than it does in back alleys.

Women who have been sexual assaulted can often feel that it was their fault. They think they didn't fight hard enough. Or they drank too much. Or their skirt was too tight. Maybe this is why sexual assault is so under reported and so infrequently talked about. Admitting to being raped in our culture means being vulnerable to judgment. Survivors who report are often asked: "Why did you go there?" "Why were you alone with him?" "Why didn't you say no?" "Why didn't you fight back?" There are a lot of voices telling the victim that they have done something wrong and that, somehow, they were responsible for what happened to them.

If victims don't report, their attacker is never convicted. Only about 54 percent of rapes are reported (RAINN). Of the victims who report, only 12 percent of rapists are arrested, only 9 percent of them will be prosecuted, and 5 percent will lead to a felony conviction (RAINN). This may seem unbelievable since, as I've already mentioned, 2/3 of sexual assault survivors could tell the police who attacked them (RAINN).

To me, this seems to suggest that there is something wrong with how we, as a community and a society, respond to sexual assault. If we're going to make our community safe from sexual assault we have to move away from victim blaming. We need to make it clear in our policies, our courtrooms, our conversations, and how we treat survivors that the problem isn't the victim. The problem is the rapist.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every year, advocates and supporters wear teal ribbons on their clothes and cars, and put them in their storefronts. This year, police in Ionia will be sporting teal ribbons on their police cruisers to show support. If you visit the Ionia County Courthouse, you will see the T-Shirt Project, which is a display of T-shirts depicting themes and facts about sexual assault.

Relief After Violent Encounter Ionia/Montcalm, Inc. (RAVE) offers free and confidential services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence as well as to victims of homelessness. RAVE services include emergency shelter, counseling, support groups, advocacy services, the Domestic Assault Response Advocacy Team (DARA), and transitional housing. RAVE is committed to supporting healing and empowering individuals in crisis as well as educating individuals and the community on the power of healthy relationships. To learn more or learn about how you can volunteer, call 616-527-3351 or email us at administration@raveim.org.

You can also contact the 24-Hour Crisis Line at 1-800-720-SAFE (7233).